Modern Decorative Objects
The late 19th and early 20th centuries saw sweeping social change and major scientific advances — both of which contributed to a new aesthetic: modernism. Rejecting the rigidity of Victorian artistic conventions, modernists sought a new means of expression. References to the natural world and ornate classical embellishments gave way to the sleek simplicity of the Machine Age. Architect Philip Johnson characterized the hallmarks of modernism as “machine-like simplicity, smoothness or surface [and] avoidance of ornament.”
Early practitioners of modernist design include the De Stijl (“The Style”) group, founded in the Netherlands in 1917, and the Bauhaus School, founded two years later in Germany.
Followers of both groups produced sleek, spare designs — many of which became icons of daily life in the 20th century. The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics. While Bauhaus principals Marcel Breuer and Ludwig Mies van der Rohe created furniture from mass-produced, chrome-plated steel, American visionaries like Charles and Ray Eames worked in materials as novel as molded plywood and fiberglass. Today, Breuer’s Wassily chair, Mies van der Rohe’s Barcelona chair — crafted with his romantic partner, designer Lilly Reich — and the Eames lounge chair are emblems of progressive design and vintage originals are prized cornerstones of collections.
It’s difficult to overstate the influence that modernism continues to wield over designers and architects — and equally difficult to overstate how revolutionary it was when it first appeared a century ago. But because modernist furniture designs are so simple, they can blend in seamlessly with just about any type of décor. Don’t overlook them.
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Marble
2010s American Modern Decorative Objects
Silicone
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Murano Glass
2010s Mexican Modern Decorative Objects
Resin
1980s English Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Blown Glass
2010s Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Metal
2010s Portuguese Modern Decorative Objects
Stoneware
2010s Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Marble
2010s Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Marble
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Resin
2010s Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Gold Leaf
Early 2000s American Modern Decorative Objects
Composition
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Gold Leaf
2010s Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Marble
2010s Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Aluminum
Late 20th Century English Modern Decorative Objects
Stoneware
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Gold, Brass
Mid-20th Century Danish Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic
2010s Spanish Modern Decorative Objects
Wood
2010s Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Murano Glass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Glass
2010s Turkish Modern Decorative Objects
Brass, Nickel
20th Century American Modern Decorative Objects
Wood, Fur, Leather
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Gold Leaf
20th Century French Modern Decorative Objects
Metal
1990s American Modern Decorative Objects
Acrylic, Fiberglass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Art Glass
2010s Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Marble
21st Century and Contemporary Philippine Modern Decorative Objects
Wood, Shagreen Stingray
2010s Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic, Paint
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Murano Glass
21st Century and Contemporary Spanish Modern Decorative Objects
Bone, Wood
2010s Chinese Modern Decorative Objects
Metal, Aluminum
2010s Argentine Modern Decorative Objects
Metal
20th Century French Modern Decorative Objects
Crystal
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Glass
2010s Malaysian Modern Decorative Objects
Copper
2010s American Modern Decorative Objects
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic, Clay
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Concrete, Cement
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Art Glass
2010s Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Crystal
1970s American Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Suede, Wood, Lacquer
21st Century and Contemporary Mexican Modern Decorative Objects
Brass
1970s Finnish Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Aluminum
1960s American Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Resin
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Murano Glass
2010s Malaysian Modern Decorative Objects
Copper
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Murano Glass
Late 20th Century American Modern Decorative Objects
Steel
2010s Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Ceramic, Paint
2010s Argentine Modern Decorative Objects
Stone, Onyx, Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Wood
1980s Japanese Vintage Modern Decorative Objects
Plastic
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Blown Glass
1990s Italian Modern Decorative Objects
Murano Glass
Modern decorative objects for sale on 1stDibs.
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